News and notes from Oahu

Oahu is the hub of Hawaiian tourism, and anyone who has visited Waikiki during spring break or summer vacation knows why the island has the nickname "The Gathering Place." Here are a few items I picked up on my visit last month (and since my return):

Goodbye, Orange County: The "new" United Airlines announced late last month that it would end service between John Wayne Airport and Honolulu. The move comes two years after Continental Airlines launched the service. With Continental merging with United, first the O.C.-Maui and now O.C.-Honolulu routes have been cut. For now there is no airline waiting in the wings to pick up the island service. Rumors have swirled that Southwest might jump into the Hawaii market, but that seems like wishful thinking. So far, Southwest seems focused on Mexico, with service from John Wayne Airport to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City starting in June under its wholly-owned subsidiary AirTran.

Ukulele fail, take two: Hawaii failed for a second time to set a record for the largest ukulele ensemble. The effort April 28 drew more than 1,000 people to Honolulu to capture the Guinness World Record. But the headcount fell about 250 musicians short of the 1,547 players needed. It was the second time since last summer that an attempt at the record didn't work out. Hawaii News Now reported that the group gathered at the Blaisdell Center arena had fun anyway, playing a song by local ukulele revival hero Jake Shimabukuro. The only thing odder than the failure is who holds the record: Sweden, set in August.

Where the girls aren't: For the second year in a row, the Association of Surfing Professionals has failed to have a top-tier women's surfing contest in Hawaii. The men's tour ends in December with the Pipeline Masters, capping the Triple Crown of Surfing events. With surfwear companies that usually sponsor the events hurting financially, the women's event disappeared from the schedule last year and didn't make a comeback this year, despite reports of an economic recovery. It's all the more a shame because the defending Women's World Tour champion is Carissa Moore, from – you guessed it – Oahu.

Turtle Bay Resort turns 40: It has been a sometimes rocky road for the only hotel on the North Shore. Del Webb opened what was originally called Kuilima Resort Hotel in 1972, hoping the state would legalize casino gambling. It didn't happen. A Hyatt, then a longtime Hilton, Turtle Bay fell into disrepair before being resuscitated in 2010 as an independent hotel. It's finally taking advantage of its location near some of the most famous surfing spots in the world. The hotel embraces a surfing theme today – while still promoting its longtime status as a golf resort.

Allegiant Air starting service from Las Vegas and Fresno: At first glance, this is of little interest to Orange County. But we'll watch to see if the entry of Allegiant, a discount carrier, changes the Hawaii airline service situation. The move means that Fresno (Allegiant) and Bellingham, Wash. (Alaska), will have more routes to Hawaii than Orange County. Allegiant has a hub in Los Angeles, but so far there are no signs it plans to join the scrum of airlines flying the Los Angeles-Honolulu route.

Third Whole Foods for Hawaii: Whole Foods last month opened its third store in Hawaii in Kailua, the upscale community on the windward coast of Oahu. There is already a popular store in Kahala, just east of Waikiki, and another in Kahului on Maui. It will be another option for picking up picnic food before heading to Kailua Beach Park for the day.

More lanes (kind of) to help with Honolulu highway congestion: With traffic on H-1 leading into downtown Honolulu becoming a snarl, the state is considering adding an extra lane in each direction. No construction will be done – instead the medians will disappear and lanes will shrink to 10 feet from 11.5 feet. As the Honolulu Star Advertiser pointed out, the popular Ford F-150 truck is 8.5 feet wide, not counting the side mirrors. The freeway already features a "zipper lane" during peak periods when one lane on the opposite side of the freeway is given to counter-flow traffic during rush hours, reducing the less-busy side to two lanes.

Tourism rebound: Visits to the state of Hawaii are on a 22-month run of year-over-year increases. Pacific Business News reported the Hawaiian Tourism Authority said arrivals were up 13 percent in March to 714,913 visitors. Visitors are staying slightly longer and spending much more – up 19 percent to $1.17 billion. With a weak dollar, visits are on the rise from Japan and Korea, but also the fast-growing market of China. Visitors from the West Coast were up 11 percent. One downer: The National Football League has a plan to end the Pro Bowl, which is held in Honolulu.

Military rebound: A military realignment with Asia as a higher priority could mean the reversal of decades of military cutbacks on Oahu. The Army recently began building a 330,000-square-foot headquarters for the U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter and plans to upgrade the command rank from lieutenant general (three stars) to general (four stars), according to the Star-Advertiser. Long before tourism, military spending was the backbone of Oahu's economy.

Housing comeback: The Star Advertiser reported the median home price on Oahu rose to $625,000 from $548,000 a year ago, a 14 percent jump. March was the fifth straight month of rising prices. It's one of the few places in the country where an Orange County visitor can have real estate sticker shock.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had incorrect ranks of the current and future Army commanders in Oahu.